Columbia Pictures has made a deal to develop The Pioneer Woman, a romantic comedy that’s being shaped as a potential star vehicle for Reese Witherspoon. The studio has acquired rights to thepioneerwoman.com, a blog by Ree Drummond that details how a detour on a trip from L.A. to Chicago led her to Oklahoma. There, she met the cowboy of her dreams and transformed from spoiled city girl to domestic ranch wife.

Laura Ziskin and Pam Williams will produce. Drummond wrote a bestselling cookbook, and has turned her homespun tales into Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, a book that will be published by William Morrow next Valentine’s Day. That’s part of the rights package.

Drummond has a large following for a blog she writes from the cattle ranch that covers everything from cooking to tips on home schooling. The film will explore the fantasy of trading big city living for a wholesome simpler life. Rights to the book are part of the deal brokered by UTA and LJK Literary Management.

138 Comments

Uh, won’t this have a lot of thematic overlap with Sweet Home Alabama? I miss the edgy Reese who did Freeway and Election.

c4x • on Mar 18, 2010 10:03 am

Sounds gross, but maybe THIS time her character won’t be an awful person to the bitter end. Seriously once her character outed Ethan Embry’s I just sat through the rest of the movie hoping she’d fall off a cliff or drown in the shower.

Regardless, I won’t be watching this drivel.

Karma • on Mar 18, 2010 10:46 am

Those were great movies, we were laughing about Freeway a few months ago. I wish she would go back to something along those lines.

She has such great timing for the quirky/edgy comedies.

Brittni • on Sep 13, 2010 12:46 pm

How is this storyline in any way similar to Sweet Home Alabama? Has anyone actually read Ree Drummond’s story? No? Thought so.

Just for the record Oklahoma and Alabama are two totally different states.

Don’t have too many ranches down here in the south, which Oklahoma is not considered part of bt-dub.

will she cough at some dust and fall off a horse?? only time will tell!

Anon • on Mar 18, 2010 11:59 am

Well, everyone knows you aren’t living a full and exciting life unless there is a 24 hour Starbucks within a 10 minute drive.

Go Britney…Go Britney….get your Frap on.

doc • on Mar 19, 2010 6:32 am

EXT. FIELDS, DAWN

Reese struggles to carry a pail of oats across a muddy field to the stable. We PAN DOWN to REVEAL she is wearing high heels! So funny! She stumbles and falls!

Matthew • on Mar 17, 2010 5:54 pm

barf.

Mister • on Mar 17, 2010 6:00 pm

So now the basis for half of every romantic comedy ever made is just going to be done again, except this time it will be different, because they will be able to superimpose “BASED ON A TRUE STORY” before the movie begins.

LL • on Mar 17, 2010 6:02 pm

I like Reese as a person but good grief does anyone really care anymore as an actress? Why do studios keep catering stories to fit her? Besides, isn’t this a tad “done” considering some of the elements to Sweet Home Alabama? This concept sounds so much better with someone like Rachel McAdams or Kristen Bell or even Katherine Heigl. Because they’re still relevant. Reese, sadly, is not.

westla • on Mar 17, 2010 6:08 pm

SWEET HOME ALABAMA?

cowboy • on Mar 17, 2010 6:09 pm

Fish out of water rom-com – we’ve never seen that before from Reese (LEGALLY BLONDE, SWEET HOME ALABAMA). Great idea Columbia to develop it for her, keep up the good work!

DaKillah • on Mar 17, 2010 6:10 pm

It’s a reverse SWEET HOME ALABAMA?

Julie W • on Mar 17, 2010 6:29 pm

Are you serious? What’s it called, “Sweet Home Oklahoma?”

Charlie Bludhorn • on Mar 17, 2010 6:33 pm

Oh. So it’s SWEET HOME ALABAMA. But in Oklahoma. So it’s different. I see.

I thought Sony had no development money?

MR • on Mar 17, 2010 6:45 pm

Didn’t she star in this movie already when it was called “Sweet Home Alabama”?

Um, Seriously • on Mar 17, 2010 6:52 pm

This sounds like tons of movies already made. Anyone care to start the list?

I love Reese but gurrrllll, how about doing some work worthy of your Oscar?!

RafasReds • on Mar 17, 2010 7:59 pm

Sounds like a variation on “Sweet Home Alabama.” Is it even possible to do a modern, intelligent romantic comedy? I can think of three clever Cary Grant rom coms that featured equally strong leads for Irene Dunne, Rosalind Russell and Katherine Hepburn. But at least two of those screenplays originated in the theater.

Here’s hoping this isn’t Hollywood churning out another well-worn, treacly suckfest for the easy date-night dollars. Witherspoon’s already been pretty good in a bad rom com. Would like to see her be good in a good one.

Ree, that is so awesome. You totally deserve this and your blog and life stoy is just amazing!

Rebekah • on Oct 9, 2010 10:36 pm

What exactly is “amazing” about growing up on a golf course, moving to LA for a few years and then moving back home and marrying a multi-millionare. I say kudos to her for her success but her life story is not anything to write home about.

Doug • on Mar 17, 2010 9:30 pm

Seems like Reese is “attached” to more projects than just about any other actress, yet she only makes about one movie every two years.

Toby of The Hill People • on Mar 17, 2010 9:31 pm

Meanwhile if you go over to that future trainwreck of a studio and try to sell them anything good ( a fucking cookbook? ) they will tell you that they are out of development money until 2013. That’s if they call you back, which Tolmach doesn’t know how to do. The end of Spiderman 4 means the end of Sony’s current team and not a moment too soon.

Anonymous • on Mar 17, 2010 9:43 pm

In the future, everyone will be played by Amy Adams for 15 minutes.

understanding • on Mar 17, 2010 10:11 pm

there’s a reason they’re out of development money ’til ’13.

Karl • on Mar 17, 2010 10:49 pm

Man….if only Amy Baer and CBS could have bought this for J-Lo.

I’m sure Sony thought it was based on a blog so that meant it had a built in audience.

This movie will get made, lose money, be terrible….and then Sony will say “Audience dont want romantic comedies” or “Reese is not a star” or “Movies set in the USA dont play well overseas.” They will say anything but this is a bad idea for a movie that should not have been made and that is why it failed.

The Kid • on Mar 17, 2010 10:56 pm

Wow like an actor has never done a part reminiscent of a successful role from their past. You’d think Reese was the first.

I think this is a great idea. Pioneer Woman is about as big as blogs get, her average post get hundreds of comments, when she gives away a prize, she gets tens of thousands. It surely dwarfs the comment sections of any other site I visit. I don’t know if that’s a real sign of popularity, but it must mean something.

She also writes some great recipes, but goes way over board with too many pictures for my liking.

Lesley • on Mar 18, 2010 3:18 pm

I’ve never been able to figure out the focus of that Pioneer Woman blog. It’s all over the place. If your interest is cooking you’ll find recipes which, for the most part, are re-hashed from the magazines found in any grocery check-out lane. That’s the primary reason I didn’t invest in her cookbook. And each recipe is accompanied by an inordinate amount of photos. Have you ever forgotten how to use a salt shaker? Check out this blog–there’ll be a photo to remind you.

If your interest is photography, you can certainly find photos ad nauseaum. She also posts about home schooling, life on an Oklahoma cattle ranch, gardening, etc. For her vegetarian fans, it’s a good thing she doesn’t photograph the fate of the cattle her husband raises. With her increased popularity, the multiple ads have become annoying.

And now Hollywood is going to make a movie about this? The Hallmark Channel would be a more appropriate venue for this soap opera.

Geeg • on Mar 20, 2010 6:59 am

Gee. Cynical much?

Get it together Reese • on Mar 17, 2010 11:14 pm

Reese Witherspoon is quickly becoming a parody of herself. There was a time when she was an actual actress (talented, etc.), now I don’t know what she is. She’s just milking whatever fame she has left, collecting as many $10 to $15 million paychecks and AVON contracts along the way until, eventually, she’ll just be a joke. This is a recipe for guaranteed obscurity in five years.

I promise ten years from now we’ll be seeing Reese Witherspoon starring in late-night infomercials. She seems to have no ambition of stretching herself as an actress or making good movies.